Decorative button assembly



Apnl 22, 1969 R. B. STIMSON DECORATIVE BUTTON ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 6. 1966 INVENTOR. 2A1. :1 B. Sr/Mso/v ,lwqm

United States Patent 3,439,439 DECORATIVE BUTTON ASSEMBLY Raleigh B. Stimson, Box 507, West Yellowstone, Mont. 59758 Filed Sept. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 577,340 Int. Cl. A44c 3/00 US. Cl. 40-15 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A decorative button assembly capable of being removably supported in a buttonhole of a garment by means of a wire clip, which assembly when so disposed serves to hold a coin in such a manner that the desired face thereof is exposed to View.

On certain clothing, particularly Western garb, ornaments of distinctive character are held in high esteem. When brightly polished, coins are quite decorative and ideal for use on mens and womens clothing. However, heretofore there has been no simple and inexpensive means of so supporting coins in a manner to permit use thereof as buttons for clothing.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive button assembly which incorporates a coin as the face portion thereof, which when so supported is clearly visible and lends a most attractive feature to clothing on which it is worn.

Another object of the invention is to furnish a coinholding button assembly of simple mechanical structure that can be fabricated from standard, commercially available materials, requires no special plant facilities for the production thereof, and as a result can be retailed at a sufi'lciently low price as to encourage its widespread use.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description thereof, and from the drawing illustrating the same, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of the coinholding button assembly shown mounted on a garment;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the button assembly showing the coin, clevis, coin retainer and clip for removably engaging the clevis;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the components shown in FIGURE 2 after assembly, prior to deformation of the forward circumferential portion of the retainer to define a lip to retain the coin therein;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the components shown in FIGURE 2 after assembly, with the forward circumferential portion of the retainer having been deformed to provide a coin-retaining lip;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the button assembly prior to the attachment thereof to a garment; and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the interior of a garment, showing the clip which removably holds the button assembly thereon.

With particular reference to FIGURES 1 and 2 for the general arrangement of the invention, it will be seen to include a coin retainer A, a clevis B, a clip C and a coin D, which coin adds to the distinctive decorative appearance of the'button assembly and the garment on which it is worn.

The coin retainer A includes a circular member 10, preferably of thin gauge sheet metal that is stamped or otherwise formed to provide an elongate, rearwardly extending dish-shaped portion 12 at substantially the center thereof, which is in communication with a longitudinally extending slot 14. The circumferential edge of member develops into a forwardly extending rim 16 that is formed ice from a ductile material, for reasons which will later be explained.

The diameter of member 10 is slightly larger than that of the coin D to be supported in the retainer A. The depth of the rim 16 is somewhat greater than the thickness of coin D. The clevis B is formed from wire of a diameter less than the depth of the dish-shaped portion 12, as well as the width of the slot 15. As shown in FIGURE 2, the clevis B includes two aligned, longitudinally spaced legs 18 that are connected by a loop 20. Loop 20 is of such size that when the legs 18 are disposed in the dish-shaped portion 12, the loop extends rearwardly through slot 14.

The loop 20 may be removably engaged by the clip C which is fabricated from a resilient wire and includes a first leg 22 and a slightly shorter leg 24. The second leg 24 is curved, and comprises two longitudinally spaced portions 26 and 28 which are normally in abutting contact with first leg 22. The portions 26 and 28, together with the first leg 22, cooperatively define an enclosed space 30 in which the loop 20 may be removably disposed.

After the clevis B has been seated in the dished portion 12, the coin D is placed in retainer A, abutting against the forward face of member 10. The circumferential portion of the rim 16 that projects forwardly from the coin D is then subjected to suflicient force to deform the same into an inwardly extending lip 32, as shown in FIGURE 4. Lip 32 serves to hold coin D in retainer A in abutting contact with member 10. When so supported, the coin D cooperates with the dish-shaped portion 12 to provide a confined space in which the legs 18 are held.

After the retainer A, clevis B and coin D have been assembled as an integral unit in the manner described the loop 20 may be passed through a buttonhole 34 in a garment 36 as illustrated in FIGURE 6. The loop 20 then rests on the projecting end of the first leg 22, with the second leg 24 being manually separated from the first leg a distance suflicient to permit the loop to be disposed between the two portions 26 and 28. The second leg 24 is thereafter released whereby it moves towards the first leg 22 until the portions 26 and 28 are in abutting contact therewith.

Clip C is then removably aflixed to loop 20 where it serves to removably support the button assembly as shown in FIGURES l, 4 and 6 from a garment 36. When it is desired to remove the button assembly from garment 36 the operation just described is simply reversed, with clip C being separated from loop 20.

The use and operation of the invention are extremely simple, and have been described in detail herein.

Although the present invention is fully capable of achieving the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore mentioned, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments thereof and we do not mean to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, other than as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

1. In combination with a coin, an assembly for so supporting said coin that said coin and assembly may be removably affixed to a buttonhole formed in a fabricto serve as a button, which assembly comprises:

(a) a thin circular 'member of slightly larger diameter than that of said coin, with said member having an elongate, rearwardly extending dish-shaped portion in which an elongate slot is formed;

(b) a ductile rim extending forwardly from the circumferential edge of said member and formed as an integral part thereof, which rim is of greater depth than the thickness of said coin, with said rim when 3 4 the forward extremity thereof is deformed inwardly, buttonhole serves to removably maintain said coin serving to hold said coin in a position adjacent said and assembly on said fabric. member and substantially parallel relative thereto, and with a desired side of said coin being exposed References Cited t0 f; 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS (c) a wire clevls lncluding a loop and two legs extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions, 1055453 3/1913 Duman 40*15 with said clevis-defining wire being of such thickness FOREIGN PATENTS and said legs of such length that said legs are fully positionable in said dish-shaped portion, and when 10 229,954 3/1925 eat Britain.

said clevis is so disposed said loop extends rear- 251,128 19 Great Britain.

wardly through said slot at sufficient distance as to project through said buttonhole; and JEROME SCHNALL P "lmary Examine"- an elongate Wire p that removably engages said WENCESLAO J. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner.

loop, which clip when positioned rearwardly of said 

